Products in History

Full of astounding adventures, Sailing Alone around the World is the true story of the first man ever to circle the globe alone entirely by sea. In a little over three years, Captain Joshua Slocum completed the feat many experts believed couldn't be done

The material from which this little work has been drawn has necessarily been exceedingly various. I had at one time thought of indicating the many authorities to whose works I am indebted for information, and as far as possible this has been done in the footnotes to the text. So extensive, however, have been the sources from whichmy information has been derived, that it will hardly be surprising if some have been left unacknowledged. May I therefore express my indebtedness to all upon whose experience I have based my argument or from whom I have obtained facts and figures, either by direct communication...

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

All aboard with this special two-book collection on the great railways from Canada's past. Includes: Passenger and Merchant Ships of the Grand Trunk Pacific and Canadian Northern Railways and Great Western Railway of Canada

The technological marvel of its age, the Erie Canal grew out of a sudden fit of inspiration. Proponents didn't just dream; they built a 360-mile waterway entirely by hand and largely through wilderness. As excitement crackled down its length, the canal became the scene of the most striking outburst of imagination in American history. Zealots invented new religions and new modes of living. The Erie Canal made New York the financial capital of America and brought the modern world crashing into the frontier. Men and women saw God face to face, gained and lost fortunes, and reveled in a period of...

The first detailed account of the rise and fall of the maritime branches of two of Canada's great transcontinental railways of the early twentieth century: the Grand Trunk Pacific and Canadian Northern.

During Daniel O. Killman??s more than fifty years at sea, he was shipwrecked off Coos Bay, discovered gold in Alaska, was dismasted in a hurricane near Fiji, lost a rudder en route to Adelaide, had run-ins with bureaucrats, officials, and seamen, and found himself in court facing charges of murder, all the while remaining in impeccable standing with the owners of his vessels. His thrilling life at sea during the last decades of sailing ships and the emergence of steam vessels in the Pacific is chronicled in Forty Years Master: A Life in Sail and Steam.

Like its highly successful predecessors, French Battleships and French Cruisers, this beautifully presented book blends technical and historical analysis to produce the only comprehensive study of French destroyers in the English language. Between the world wars, France produced some of the largest and fastest destroyers in the world. Known as Contre-Torpilleurs, these striking and innovative super-destroyers and the more conventional Torpilleurs d??Escadre are the focus of this book. The first part of the book covers the design of these ships, pairing the text with detailed data tables, specially-drawn...

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This narrative is not, nor does it purport to be one of general navigation upon Lake Ontario, but solely of the vessels and steamers which plyed during its century to the ports of the Niagara River, and particularly of the rise of the Niagara Navigation Co., to which it is largely devoted. Considerable detail has, however been given to the history of the steamers "Frontenac" and "Ontario" because the latter has hitherto been reported to have been the first to be launched, and the credit of being the first to introduce steam navigation upon Lake Ontario has erroneously been given to the American...

Originally published in 1865, this is a fascinating novel of the period and still an interesting read today. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

A few lines only are necessary to explain the object with which these volumes are put forth. There is no modern encyclopædia to which the inexperienced man, who seeks guidance in the practice of the various British Sports and Pastimes, can turn for information. Some books there are on Hunting, some on Racing, some on Lawn Tennis, some on Fishing, and so on; but one Library, or succession of volumes, which treats of the Sports and Pastimes indulged in by Englishmen-and women-is wanting. The Badminton Library is offered to supply the want. Of the imperfections which must be found in the execution...

The Clydebank shipyard built some of the most famous vessels in maritime history - great transatlantic liners like Lusitania, Queen Mary and QE2, and iconic warships like the battlecruiser Hood, and Britain's last battleship, HMS Vanguard. Starting life as J & G Thomson in 1847, the business acquired its more famous persona when taken over in 1899 by the Sheffield-based steelmaker John Brown & Co, which enhanced the yard's existing reputation for turning out first-class products, both naval and mercantile. This book charts the fortunes of the company in terms of its business development, its...

Lightships, Lighthouses and Lifeboat Stations is part history book, part memoir, written by Bernie Webber, recipient of the Coast Guard's highest award, the Gold Life-saving Medal, and hero of the Disney movie The Finest Hours. While the public will recognize Webber's name from the movie and the bestselling book by the same name, few people know that during his lengthy Coast Guard career he served on lightships (ships anchored in dangerous areas to warn other vessels of hazards) in addition to lifeboat stations (small boat rescue stations) and lighthouses. Webber poses the following question:...

In 1819, the American whaler Essex was sailing deep into the great equatorial hunting grounds of the Pacific when it was destroyed by a maddened sperm whale. By all reports, the 85-foot whale deliberately rammed the ship twice and sank it. The incident, which occurred in the same year that Herman Melville was born, became a primary source of inspiration for Moby-Dick. Indeed, much of the detail and color in the final chapter of Melville's work is drawn directly from these three eyewitness accounts. The book also served as the basis for the 2015 movie In the Heart of the Sea, directed by Ron...

A wide network of rivers make Bangladesh one of the largest maritime nations in the world. Various types of inland marine crafts have been carrying cargo and passengers for thousands of years. Being self sufficient in resources, ancient Bangladeshis did not have to venture outside their nation and therefore, ocean borne navigation was never an important aspect of their life. Inland marine was an important feature in the lifestyle of Bangladeshis and will remain so for a long time.

In 1918, Canadian Pacific steamship Princess Sophia ran aground on Alaska's Vanderbilt reef. She sat there for two terrifying days before sinking in a raging snowstorm. Seventy-six years later, a cruise ship called the Star Princess was sailing in the same stretch of water - and Alaska's worst maritime disaster nearly repeated itself.